Marshall Track & Field Concludes Indoor Season at Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships

 By Ben Anderson


    Marshall Track & Field concluded the indoor season at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor championships on Feb. 24 winning four medals and setting the foundation for the upcoming outdoor season.


    Leading the way on day one was junior jumper Lara Check, winning gold in the women’s long jump, jumping 6.06 meters to be the only jumper in the event to jump over 6 meters. Marshall Director of Track & Field Keith Roberts said that Check had to battle through adversity and stay discipline with a sharp mentality during the event.


    “She had a really good first jump,” Roberts said in an interview with First and Ben. “Then her second hump, she was behind the board. And she knew why. We knew why she was behind the board. And it was a simple fix, but there was no panic. And I could almost tell when I talked to her that the next jump was going to be the winning jump. And sure enough, it was.”


    Taking charge in day two for the Thundering Herd was freshman Trashaun Smith winning silver in the men’s Triple Jump, jumping 15.44 meters. Roberts said that Smith has made tremendous strides since stepping foot on campus.


    “He was amazing,” Roberts said. “The mentality he brought, I mean, he’s a hardworking kid too. It’s not like he’s just, hey, I came in and I’m the top guy. He improved by almost like, I want to say three feet in the triple jump since he’s been here. So, it was really cool to be able to see him do that.”


    The cross-country team had its own success at the meet behind the strong performances of sophomore and Winfield, W.V. native Justin Lipscomb winning silver in the men’s 5K, and finishing fifth in the 3K. Marshall Cross Country Head Coach Caleb Bowen said with the results, he has high expectations for Lipscomb in the outdoor season. 


    “Definitely trying to get him in some good meets to be able to get some really high-quality performances,” Bowen said in an interview with First and Ben. “It’s going to be similar where there’s going to be a lot of tactics involved at the conference meet (Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships). So, getting him prepared to be able to rip those last, 300 meters, 200 meters, whatever it may be, just getting him ready for that.”


    The Thundering Herd had four athletes named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Conference teams with Check earning First Team honors, and the trio of Lipscomb, Smith, and Markayla Moore earning Second Team honors. 


    The Thundering Herd starts the outdoor season on Mar. 19 with the River City Relays at Jacksonville Florida.


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